Masks of World – Book

Unusual Sri Lankan mask

Q: I have a collection of masks from around the world that I am interested in selling. I have pictures of 8 of them that I can send to you at this time (there are more), mostly frontal views. I do not have the three views for each that you request on your form. I know some are African and some are from Southeast Asia, but I have no specific info on the origins of any of them. Would it be productive for me to send you the pictures I have now? They are somewhat unusual. Risa, 879

A: Risa did send me the photos and I picked out this one to share with my readers. This is a Maha Kola Sanni Yakka mask which incorporates 18 sanni masks into one larger mask. It is one of the more elaborate masks from Sri Lanka and you don’t see it very often. This particular example is even more rare. I have never seen a Maha Kola that is designed like this one. Those two side panel show a very strange creature with a trunk snout and a fish tale. The rest of the masks in the collection are more typical of what is normally offered to tourists visiting exotic countries. B